A monkey is on the run in the Scottish Highlands

Was it a desire for freedom, for friends or for snacks that drove the monkey to make his daring escape?

Only the Japanese macaque itself knows for sure. He has evaded the hands of animal keepers who have been chasing him since Sunday, when he escaped from an enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie, Scotland, and fled to the Scottish highlands.

Park officials have deployed thermal drones to help them search for the animal and have asked residents to report sightings.

The monkey's life on the run has brought a whirlwind of media attention to the relatively remote communities of Kingussie and Kincraig (combined population: about 1,500 people). Amused residents, who have nicknamed the animal 'Kingussie Kong', have invested themselves in its fate, and journalists have followed the animal keepers as they trekked through the hills.

“There has been an epic monkey hunt going on in this village every day for the past few days,” said Carl Nagle from Kincraig, who added that a loose animal was “a first” for the usually quiet village. “You'd think we were chasing an international fugitive instead of an innocent monkey.”

On Sunday, after hearing of the outbreak, Mr. Nagle went downstairs and was greeted with a surreal sight: There he was, the monkey of the hour, nibbling nuts under a bird feeder in Mr. Nagle's backyard.

“It looked at me; I looked at him,” he said on Tuesday. He described the monkey's expression as “sheepish.”

“He knew he wasn't where he was supposed to be,” Mr. Nagle said. It was, he said, “shocking and miraculous at the same time.”

Zookeepers soon showed up and the monkey ran off toward the trees, he said. The monkey was sighted again on Tuesday and park authorities said they were patrolling the area and had called for help from a local rescue service.

The Japanese macaque, also known as the snow monkey, is an intelligent primate species native to Japan and was once hunted for food before protection helped the population recover. The animal was not “believed to be dangerous” to people and pets, but authorities warned the public not to approach it. “We are hopeful that the monkey will return to the park if it cannot find food elsewhere,” the charity that runs the wildlife park said in a statement. rack.

The monkey had been part of it a pack of more than 30 animals at Highland Wildlife Park. Keith Gilchrist, the park's operations manager, said he may have been caught up in breeding season tensions. “Instead of putting up a fight, it looks like this one just went for it and got past the fence line,” he told the BBC.

Mr Nagle hopes the monkey enjoys his freedom before returning home.

“Everyone supports this monkey,” he said. “He needs to have a good time and live his best life.”